The BookThinker Newsletter ISSN 1547-9501 #92, 9 April 2007

BookThink Update
16 April 2007>>>

Update Announcements

BookThink's Top 10 on eBay February 2007 As threatened, eBay eliminated all UK listing visibility on its US site at the beginning of March, and we may have seen the last of Fleming, Rowling and Tolkien - though this month (February), as you might suspect, all are well represented. Join Pamela Palmer today on her regular tour of eBay's best.

Letters to the Editor Two Viewpoints on Friends of the Library (FOL) Sales Given the number of emails I received after last week's special Friends of the Library (FOL) issue, I had originally planned to write a follow-up article this week, but two of the emails expressed different sides of the issue so well that I thought it would be best to simply publish them here with no explanation. Lots of food for thought.

From the Editor Important announcements for BookThinker readers.

Interview with Tom Oram at Book Sale Finder How many booksellers actually attend Friends of the Library sales? Tom Oram of Book Sale Finder, a website that listed over 6,000 sales last year, reports that 30% to 40% of their users are book scouts or dealers. This certainly suggests strong professional interest. And anybody that actually goes to sales knows only too well how many dealers are buying; they're the ones using handheld devices to check prices. It's clear that their numbers have exploded in recent years, and it's safe to say that FOL organizations now depend on dealer's purchases for a significant portion of their revenue. In today's BookThinker, Catherine Petruccione interviews Tom Oram. Topics discussed include the history of Book Sale Finder and much insight into the FOL sale phenomenon.

Selling on Amazon Will Technology Kill the FOL Sale? Despite the apparent surge of interest in Friends of the Library sales in recent years, some booksellers, especially those with years of experience, are reporting diminishing returns. Competition at FOL sales has become fierce, and gone are the days when you could arrive an hour or so after opening and browse leisurely for inventory - and expect to go home with anything. Amidst this competition is a growing controversy on the use of price lookup tools. Some FOL organizations have already taken steps to control their use, if not eliminate it altogether. Steve Weber is here today to discuss this issue and offer some solutions.

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Gold Edition #36 Bookselling on the Cutting Edge Part II: Personally, I Could Care Less about Britney Spears, but She's on My Watch List Anyway Issue #36 of the Gold Edition - Bookselling on the Cutting Edge - Part II: Personally, I Could Care Less about Britney Spears, but She's on My Watch List Anyway- is now available for purchase. Purchase now.

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Chess Books and Related Items
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Previous BookThinker update-

BookThink Update
2 April 2007>>>

Update Announcements

Bookmarking History "Get Thee to a Nunnery" Nun Bibliophilia and Some Collectible Nun Books When I first began selling on eBay, there were entire classes of books that just couldn't go wrong - that is, any title that fell within the boundaries of one of these would sell for a price worth bothering with. Wild turkey hunting (one of my favorites), is a good example - and anything by or about nuns! Today it's much different. There are few topics that consistently deliver profits from top to bottom, and neither wild turkey hunting nor nuns are among them. However, what this early experience taught me was that collectors still hang around in these same places, albeit looking for somewhat less common items to add to their collections. In today's BookThinker, History Editor William Klimon looks at what nun enthusiasts are still paying big bucks for today.

Buying and Selling Children's Books Never Buy Book Club Editions Children's Books Editor Guusje Moore returns with some advice that may conflict with what you think you know as you know nothing else: Some children's book club editions are most definitely profitable. Lots of good scouting information is provided, as usual, including - you guessed it - some nun books.